By Joseph `Reds’ Perreira and Tony McWatt
With the West Indies schedule of white-ball matches, in both the T20 and 50 Over ODI formats having been concluded, Caribbean cricket attention will now swing towards Jamaica’s Sabina Park for the forthcoming West Indies-Pakistan two Tests Series. The first of the two Tests will be played at Sabina Park from August 12-16 and the second from August 20-24.
The T20 matches, which were initially scheduled to be five each against South Africa, Australia, and Pakistan, were intended to provide the West Indies with adequate pre-tournament match-play preparation for the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup to be staged in the UAE this coming October.
The matches were also earmarked towards allowing the regional selectors to identify the squad of players that would be most capable of successfully defending the West Indies’ title as reigning World Cup champions.
The West Indies lost the five-match T20 Series against South Africa 2-3, but rebounded magnificently to defeat the under-strength Aussies 4-1. The Pakistan Series, initially scheduled as five matches, was subsequently reduced to four. It was also eventually so badly affected by rain that only one of the four matches, the second of the Series and the first of three that were scheduled to be played in Guyana, actually produced a result. Pakistan won that encounter by just seven runs, having restricted the West Indies to 150/4 off the allocated 20 overs in response to their posted 157/8.
From a selection point of view, there were a few most welcome and major revelations for the West Indies, from the 11 T20 matches that were eventually played. The first of these was the emergence of Obed McCoy as a most efficient death overs bowler in partnership with the experienced Dwayne Bravo.
McCoy claimed nine wickets at just over 15 runs apiece in the five matches he played against South Africa.
He, however, didn’t figure much afterwards against either Australia or Pakistan because of injury.
Hayden Walsh Jr., also bowled superbly against the Aussies, capturing 12 wickets at an average of 11. Fabian Allen’s economical left-arm spin and magnificent power-hitting were the other two emergences of note from the T20 matches.
By the conclusion of the respective Series of T20 matches, the West Indies selectors should certainly have received sufficient evidence as to determine the combination of their strongest possible starting XI for the World Cup. Evin Lewis, Lendl Simmons, Shimron Hetmeyer, Nicholas Pooran, Capt. Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Fabian Allen, Jason Holder, Dwayne Bravo, Hayden Walsh Jr., and Obed McCoy should by now be universally accepted as the West Indies’ strongest possible T20 World Cup starting XI.
The debate over the composition of the remaining members of the eventual West Indies squad that will be traveling to the UAE for the T20 World Cup has since been significantly muted by the ICC most recent announcement that participating squads will be now allowed to be comprised of as many as 22 players. That now provides the West Indies Selectors with the luxurious comfort of virtually being able to pick an entire Second XI.
Against such a luxurious provision even the highly contentious debate over the merits of the veteran Chris Gayle’s inclusion to the squad should now no longer be an issue. Selection Chairman Roger Harper, Head Coach Phil Simmons and Captain Kieron Pollard had all at various times expressed their respective support for Gayle’s inclusion. With the squad composition having been enlarged to 22 it should now, therefore, be a fait accompli!
The same cannot, however, be said for Andre Fletcher as the backup wicket-keeper batsman. His continuous string of sub-par scores with the bat should have made it as glaringly obvious to the Selectors, as it is now to everyone else, that his inclusion to the squad is not merited and that he should be replaced, arguably by Shai Hope, as a much more reliable option.
With as many as 22 players now being allowed for each participating World Cup squad, it was most interesting to read of Pollard’s most recent comments in one of the regional newspapers:
“It is very, very exciting times coming up, a lot of selection quandaries will come up, a lot of persons will have their (squads) but we’re never going to be perfect. What we’re going to try to do is pick the best team to put on the maroon and represent us at the World Cup, so let’s see what happens then.”
Having seen all of the 18 players they had chosen for the T20 home series matches in action plus now having the luxury of adding four more, it is difficult for us to understand why the selection of the Caribbean region’s best 22 players should now still be a potential source of quandary for Chairman Roger Harper and his panel. If so perhaps they should consider relinquishing their responsibilities with immediate effect!
What should be of far greater concern are the numerous deficiencies in the West Indies’ performances during the ODI Series against the Aussies, as weakened as they were by the absence of several key players. The West Indies lost the Series 1-2. More importantly, the two matches lost were by the significantly large margins of 133 runs and six wickets. On the other hand, the only match won was by the comparatively slender margin of four wickets. Significantly large numbers of dot balls faced as well as wides and no-balls bowled, batsmen’s failure to rotate and build partnerships, dismissals caused by poor shot selection, as well as the lack of situational match analysis, were all long since far too often recurring themes in the West Indies’ sub-par performances.
The ODI losses to Australia were also of some significance by virtue of their effect on the West Indies’ position on the points table that will be used to determine the top eight automatic qualifiers for the 2023 ICC World Cup. The defeats at the hands of the Aussies represented the loss of an opportunity to gain much-needed valuable points towards securing an automatic 2023 World Cup qualification berth.
With the white ball fixtures having been concluded and the announcement of the final T2o World Cup 22 member squad not due until September 15, regional cricket attention will now turn to the forthcoming aforementioned West Indies-Pakistan 2 Test Series in Jamaica. As part of its preparation for the Series the West Indies had scheduled two Best vs Rest practice matches in Jamaica, the Cricket West Indies provided information against which was noticeably alarming in its paucity.
Shamarh Brooks (135) and Royston Chase (65) reportedly both had good scores with the bat in the first of the two matches, which should serve to advance their chances for selection to Test Squad of 14 that will presumably be named sometime soon. Veerasammy Permaul’s first match haul of seven wickets should arguably also secure his spot as the second spinner, behind Rakheem Cornwall and ahead of Jomel Warrican.
As such our expectations are that the 14 member squad will comprise as follows: Kraigg Brathwaite, Keiran Powell, Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, Royston Chase, Kyle Mayers, Jermaine Blackwood, Joshua DaSilva, Jason Holder, Alzharri Joseph, Rakheem Cornwall, Kemar Roach, Veerasammy Permaul and Jayden Seales.
It was also very interesting to note the non-inclusion of both Darren Bravo and Shannon Gabriel in either of the team sheets for the first of the two Best vs Rest practice matches. If repeated for the second match it would serve as a very strong indication of the West Indies’ Selectors having now moved on from including either player in their team selection plans for the immediate future.
About The Writers:
Guyana born Joseph `Reds’ Perreira has served as a world recognized West Indies Cricket Commentator for well over fifty-years now, having made his debut broadcast during the 1971 West Indies-India Test Series.
Guyana born, Toronto based, Tony McWatt now serves as Canada Cricket’s Media Relations Manager and as Publisher of Wickets: Canada’s Monthly Online Cricket Magazine. He is also the only son of the former Guyana and West Indies wicket-keeper batsman the late Clifford “Baby Boy” McWatt.
